In Ghana, on average at least 16 ritual murders occur each year. Every fortnight, a family mourns the death of a loved one who lost his or her life because of the wickedness, unscrupulousness and the belief in witchcraft of the perpetrator(s) who search power, prestige, wealth or good health by committing a ritual murder.
The National Head Pastor of the 7th Day Pentecostal Church, Elder Enoch Ofori Jr., addressed a large crowd at the end of December (2022), condemning ritualistic practices and calling on the government to apply the rule of law. The meeting was organized by the 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies and was held in the Ashanti Region (Central Region). In particular, the reverend minister cited the notorious Mankessim ritual murder case which occurred in the Central Region last year. I’ve reported on this ritual murder case on various occasions (see my postings dated September 27, September 30, and October 1, October 2 and October 3).
Elder Enoch Oforu is to be commended for raising his voice against the ugly practice of ritualistic killings in the country. His condemnation is even more important as he spoke at a meeting which was attended by the entire 25 branch churches across the country. (webmaster FVDK).
Rev Minister calls for effective enforcement of laws on ritual murders
Published: January 3, 2023 By: King Amoah – Modern Ghana
For a better understanding of the article cited below it is highly recommended to read yesterday’s posting with useful background information on the cultural-historic background pertaining to this ritual murder case as well as background information on the three arrested suspects (webmaster FVDK).
Mankessim murder: Awakrom chief calls for arrest of ‘missing’ fetish priest, Ebusuapanyin
Warning: the following article’s graphic content may upset some readers.
Yesterday I reported on four recent ritual murder cases in Ghana, one of them being the killing for ritualistic purposes of a young lady, Georgina Asor Botchwey, a student nurse, at Mankessim, in the Central Region.
The murder took place on September 9 of this year. Two suspects have been arrested. The suspects are a self-styled pastor Michael Darko, 48; and the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom Christopher Ekow Quansah, 65, who reportedly kidnapped, killed, and secretly buried the victim.
Screenshot – click here to watch the YouTube video
The Ghanaian police is to be commended for its swift action. We will follow closely subsequent events. (webmaster FVDK)
Suspects Confess To Ritual Killing In Mankessim Murder
Published: September 23, 2022 By: Gloria Kafu Ahiable – The Ghana Report
Two suspects involved in the murder of a student nurse at Mankessim in the Central Region have admitted to killing the victim for ritual purposes.
The suspects, a self-styled pastor Michael Darko, 48; and the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom Christopher Ekow Quansah, 65, reportedly kidnapped, killed, and secretly buried the victim.
The police said the two confessed to “murdering the victim for money rituals.”
“During police interrogation, suspect Michael Darko, who is the alleged boyfriend of the senior sister of the deceased victim and was last seen with her, led police to the location where they had buried her after the murder.”
The body has since been exhumed and deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
Meanwhile, the two accused persons were hauled before the District Court II in Cape Coast to respond to their crime on 22 September 2022.
They were remanded in police custody by the Cape Coast Court to reappear on 4 October 2022.
Both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder, contrary to section 46 of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960, Act 29.
What happened to the student nurse
The student nurse, Georgina Asor Botchwey, was allegedly kidnapped, killed and secretly buried by the chief and the pastor in the chief’s house at Mankessim.
The victim, 25, is said to have gone for an interview at the Ankaful Nursing Training College when the pastor, who happens to be her sister’s boyfriend, invited her for a meeting.
After the interview, the victim set off to meet her soon‐to‐be brother‐in‐law. Little did she know a trap had been set before she arrived in Cape Coast on 8 September 2022.
The self-styled pastor had conspired with the chief, who is the Tufuhene of Ekumfi Akwakrom, to kidnap and sexually assault her.
On 9 September 2022, the accused persons picked the victim up in a Taxi at the Ankaful Hospital Pedu junction in Cape Coast.
They then took her to an uncompleted building belonging to the chief, where they had dug a hole in preparation for the ritual.
The chief is said to have hit the deceased with a club, and when she fell, her sister’s boyfriend dragged her by the feet while the chief held her neck till she died.
Meanwhile, news that the deceased had been missing for three weeks began to spread in the Mankessim after she failed to return home after the interview.
A notice in circulation read:
“Georgina Botchwey went for an interview at Cape Coast on Wednesday, and up till now, she cannot be found; her phone is off. Please, anybody with information about her should call 0208503126 or 0247048711.”
Following this notice, a friend of the deceased raised an alarm about Georgina meeting with her sister’s boyfriend.
Shortly after the tip-off, the pastor was arrested in Cape Coast and admitted to the crime.
He subsequently led the police to the residence where Georgina had been buried, and her body was exhumed.
The family of the murdered student nurse later disclosed that the suspects initially demanded a ransom from them.
According to Georgina Asor Botchwey’s relatives, the pastor and his accomplice had demanded that they pay GH¢15,000 for her release.
Unfortunately, the family could not raise the said amount.
Ghana’s reputation abroad is one of a stable democracy, with a relative healthy economy, albeit plagued by problems which are characteristic for a developing economy: low incomes, lack of jobs, shortage of capital, to name but a few.
However, there is another Ghana, a traditional Ghana, where people believe in the power of ‘juju’, in superstition, and where criminal people do not hesitate to attack their fellow countrymen for the purposes of ritualistic activities, even if this means that the victims die in the hands of their torturers and murderers.
The four cases cited below illustrate this. The ritualistic murders took place in various parts of the country.
In the past I have given ample attention to the Kasoa case which occurred to the west of the country’s capital Accra (Greater Accra region). All murder cases are tragic but the Kasoa case even more because of the background of the young murderers. The Abesim murder which made two victims, two boys of 12 and 15 years old, took place in the Brong Ahafo Region. The Mankassim murder case is situated in Ghana’s Central Region (Ashanti Region), between Cape Coast and Winneba. I will report more on this case in the next few days. Finally, the gruesome ritualistic murder in Wa, in the Upper West Region.
Tthe reader is warned that the graphic details of the murder(s) may be shocking. (webmaster FVDK)
Four recent ritual murder cases: Abesim, Kasoa, Mankessim, Wa
A shocking news item, but it is important to emphasize that the police hasn’t yet confirmed that we’re dealing here with a ritual murder, even though there are indications of ritualistic activities. To be objective, one has to include the possibility that seemingly ritualistic activities such as removing organs or other body parts aim to mislead the investigators and that the perpetrator thus tries to cover up another crime.
As soon as more details will emerge I will inform the reader accordingly. (webmaster FVDK)
Woman murdered at Cape Coast, genitals removed
The identity and family of the deceased is yet to be established
Published: May 14, 2022 BY; Kasaha fmonline
A lady believed to be in her early twenties has been murdered and her genitals removed at Ola, a suburb of Cape Coast in the Central Region Friday night.
The deceased who is suspected to be a student of the Ola College of Education or University of Cape Coast was found lifeless along the road around the College premises.
The Authorities of the Ola College of Education and the University of Cape Coast have not yet confirmed whether the said deceased was a student of any of the schools.
The residents of Ola were thrown into a state of shock after they found the body of the light-skinned lady lying in a pool of blood with several machete wounds on the body near the Ola Catholic Church Stretch.
According to eyewitnesses, initially, they assumed a car had knocked the deceased and the driver escaped but upon getting closer they realized her vagina had been removed with blood oozing from her nose and mouth making them suspect the assailant may have committed that heinous crime for rituals purposes.
An inspection of her body showed that some of her body parts had been removed by her assailants who it is believed cut them for use in rituals.
The Police who were notified of the incident conveyed the body to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile, the Police have commenced an investigation into the incident.
The family of the deceased is yet to be identified and no arrest has been made.
When the dead body of a man believed to be in his fifties was found with his head missing, everyone thought of a ritual crime. Although nobody knows exact how many ritual murders are being committed and the official number of victims of ritualistic acts being (relatively speaking) low, dead bodies with missing body parts immediately lead to the conclusion that a ritual murder has been committed.
Let’s hope the police investigations into the crime are fruitful and the exact circumstances of the man’s death are soon known. If indeed a heinous crime was committed, the perpetrator(s) must be apprehended soon and brought to justice. The rule of law must apply and superstition must be banned from society as quick as possible. Living without fear for his / her life is a human right (webmaster FVDK).
Palm wine tapper’s lifeless body found without the head
Palm wine tapper’s lifeless body found without the head
Published: April 21, 2021 By: Pulse, Ghana – Andreas Kamasah
The lifeless body of a palm wine tapper believed to be in his 50’s has reportedly been discovered but his head could not be found.
The deceased identified as Agya Manu is believed to have been killed on a farm at Dunkwa Asoboa in the Upper Denkyira East District of the Central Region, according to a report by Starrfm.com.gh.
Kasapa FM’s Yaw Boagyan reported that he was alleged to have been killed and dumped in the bush with his head severed for alleged money rituals.
Agya Manu left home on Sunday 18 April around 5:30 am for his farm to tap some palm wine before returning to join the family for the Sunday service, but unusual of him, as at 4:PM in the evening he had still not returned.
His worried children were sent to trace his footsteps but they only returned with the bottle he had left home with at the exact end he was to fetch the palm wine.
Residents and family of the deceased became even more alarmed and organised a search for him but that did not yield any result.
Then, on Tuesday 20th April, a lady named Maame Otu found the body which was suspected to be that of Agya Manu lying at the entrance to her farm.
She hurried home to break the sad news to the community, members of which converged on the scene and confirmed through physical examination that the corpse was indeed that of Agya Manu.
Police in Dunkwa have taken custody of the body and samples of his blood have been taken to Dunkwa On-Offin government hospital for examination while an investigation is expected to commence into the incident.
Was the killing of an Okada rider a ritual murder in light of the missing body parts or was it an ‘ordinary murder’ by Buduburam criminals who by removing the body parts wanted creating a cover-up for their crime? A legitimate question, but the neighborhood has no doubts. It was a murder for ritual purposes.
The body was found at Blue Rose Estate, a suburb of Buduburam, in the Gomoa East District of Ghana’s Central Region.
The murder took place only a few days after the lifeless body of a man, estimated to be in his 50s, had been discovered – whereas his head cold not be found – and some weeks after the ritual murder of Ishmael Mensah Abdallah, a 10-year old boy, both in the Central Region. Apparently, so-called ‘money rituals’ are on the increase in Ghana. In this indeed a growing trend and, if yes, what is the explanation for this phenomenon based on superstition and greed?
We will closely watch future events in Ghana and come back to you when more facts emerge (webmaster FVDK).
Buduburam: Okada rider found dead with manhood, ears and eyes missing
Buduburam: Okada rider found dead with manhood, ears and eyes missing
Published: April 25, 2021 By: Pulse, Ghana – Emmanuel Ayamga
A commercial motorbike rider, locally known as Okada, has been found dead with some of his body parts missing. The lifeless body of the unidentified man was found at Blue Rose Estate, a suburb of Buduburam in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
According to a report by Adomonline, the deceased, who is in his 20s, was found without his penis, ears and eyes.
Other parts were also missing from the body of the motorbike rider, in what is widely suspected to be a murder for ritual purposes.
Reports suggest the killers hired the rider but murdered him midway through the journey and also bolted with his motorbike.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the St Gregory Hospital mortuary, with the Police also commencing investigations.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Buduburam, Nana Kojo Essel II, has bemoaned the high rate of crime in the community.
He appealed to the government to demolish the Buduburam “Gab”, which has become a hideout for criminals.
This comes just weeks after 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah was gruesomely murdered at Kasoa in the Central region for money rituals.
Central Region: Okada Rider Murdered; Manhood, Ears and Eyes missing
Published: April 26, 2021 By: Africa At Random – Mustafa Sana
A commercial motorbike rider, locally known as Okada, has been found dead with some of his body parts missing. The lifeless body of the unidentified man was found at Blue Rose Estate, a suburb of Buduburam in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region.
According to a report by Adomonline, the deceased, who is in his 20s, was found without his penis, ears and eyes.
Other parts were also missing from the body of the Okada rider, in what is widely suspected to be a murder for ritual purposes.
Reports suggest the killers hired the rider but murdered him midway through the journey and also bolted with his motorbike.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the St Gregory Hospital mortuary, with the Police also commencing investigations.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Buduburam, Nana Kojo Essel II, has bemoaned the high rate of crime in the community.
He appealed to the government to demolish the Buduburam “Gab”, which has become a hideout for criminals.
This comes just weeks after 10-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah was gruesomely murdered at Kasoa in the Central region for money rituals.
The heinous crime was committed by two teenagers, identified as Felix Nyarko and Nicholas Kiki, who have since been apprehended by the Police.
The suspects, aged 16 and 18, later confessed to taking their young neighbour’s life on the instruction of a spiritualist, whom they had discovered on television.
The article posted yesterday was about an alleged ritual murder case in Kasoa (formerly knows as Odupongkpehe), in Ghana’s Central Region. Since then, more details have emerged about the crime committed. Warning: some readers may find the following articles and videos disturbing (webmaster FVDK).
Two Kasoa teenagers arrested for murdering a 10-year-old, severing ear for rituals
Picture shows screen shot from the video. To watch video, click here. Viewers discretion is advised.
Published: April 4, 2021 By: GhanaWeb
Two teenagers have been arrested by the Kasoa Divisional Police Command in connection with the murder of a 10-year-old boy in what seems to be a ritual murder.
Reports available to GhanaWeb indicates the police received a distress call on Saturday at about 10:15 am about a homecode incident at Coca-Cola near Lamptey Mills, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central Region.
According to preliminary police investigations, the victim identified as Ishmael was killed by 16-year-old Felix Nyarko and Nicholas Kini, 17.
The teenage suspects are reported to have invited the deceased into an uncompleted building where they hit him with a club and cement blocks, killing him at about 9:30am the same morning.
Police sources say the boys then buried the deceased in the uncompleted building with the hope of coming back for his body in the night for ritual purpose.
Some neighbors however caught wind of their actions and raised an alarm leading to the arrest of the two.
The deceased’s body has since been deposited at the Police Hospital awaiting post-mortem whilst the suspects have been taken into custody.
Some reports claim that the suspects were told by a fetish priest to bring human parts for money rituals hence their actions.
The mother of the victim, Hajia Maame has spoken to Citi News and expressed shock over their son’s demise.
Published: April 4, 2021 By: Yen, Ghana – Jeffrey Mensah
The father of one of the two boys arrested in the Kasoa ‘Sakawa’ murder case has spoken
In a video, the man narrated how he got to know of the incident and arrested one of the suspects
The man’s son and the boy he helped to arrest, both teens, have beenarrested over the murder of a 10-year-old
The father of one of the two boys arrested over the murder of a 10-year-old boy at Kasoa has spoken on the incident. In a video sighted by YEN.com.gh, the boy’s father has narrated how he got to know of the incident and helped to apprehend the other suspect. Two teenagers were arrested on Saturday, April 3, 2021, for the murder of a 10-year-old boy identified as Ishmael.
According to reports in the media, the suspects Felix Nyarko, 18, Nicholas Kini, 19, had killed the boy for money rituals.
They were apprehended by the Kasoa Divisional Police Command following a distress call about a homicide incident in Lamptey Mills.
Speaking to the press about the incident, the father said he was in the house when his son came to tell him that they had buried the boy nearby. He went to dig up up the body and chase after the other suspect because his son had told him he did not partake in the killing.
After apprehending the other boy, he informed other people around and they took the boy to the police station. He explained that his son had told him he only called the victim for the other guy and as a father he wanted to ensure that the truth of the matter came out.
Meanwhile, Hajia Maame, the mother of the 10-year-old boy has recounted how she got to know about her son’s murder.
The bereaved mother disclosed that the elder sister of murdered 10-year-old Ishmael came to break the heart-rending news to her. Speaking in an interview, Hajia Maame told Citi News amid tears that she was shocked by her son’s demise.
The mother of slain 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah, Hajia Maame Sahadatu, has given a narration about how she was informed about her son’s murder
She disclosed that she was taking a nap when her son’s elder sister came to break the news about her brother’s demise
The bereaved mother spoke to Citi News
Hajia Maame Sahadatu, the mother of an 11-year-old boy who was gruesomely killed by two teenagers for rituals in Kasoa in the Central Region, has recounted how she got to know about her son’s murder. The bereaved mother disclosed that the elder sister of slain 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah came to break the heart-rending news to her. Speaking in an interview, Sahadatu told Citi News amid tears that she was shocked by her son’s demise.
”They (Ismael and his sister) go to Islamic school on Saturdays, but he was home because his father had returned from a trip. He was playing a game outside on his laptop while I was taking a nap,” she said.
‘His sister came running to me to tell me his brother had been killed. The police were informed and they came to the scene. My son has wrong no one,” she added. The two suspects behind the killing of the 11-year-old boy at Lamptey Mills in Kasoa, Central Region have been arrested by the Kasoa Divisional Police Command. The teenage boys, 16 and 17 years old respectively, are assisting the police with investigations. Meanwhile, the Kasoa Divisional Police Command are yet to confirm details about the incident and arrests.
Kasoa, formerly known as Odupongkpehe, is a coastal town in the Awutu Senya East Municipal District of the Central Region in Ghana. Reportedly, Odupongkpehe/Kasoa is one of the fastest growing communities in West Africa. In 1970, Odupongkpehe/Kasoa was a rural community. Since then, its population has multiplied nearly hundred times.
The clash between tradition and modernization may – partly – explain what recently happened in this fast growing urban community. Two teenagers were apprehended and accused of murdering a ten-year old child for ritualistic purposes after being requested by a fetish priest in the Volta Region who told the two suspects to bring human parts for rituals. It is not known what has happened with the fetish priest.
The law must take its course. However, society must reflect upon this heinous crime committed by two adolescents who, very likely, did not grow up in the tradition of a rural or village community. How could this happen? What is the role and responsibility of the parents? Have the two suspects been to school, what have the teachers taught them?
Maybe too many questions for the moment, but urgent reflection and action is required to avoid a repetition of this gruesome ritualistic act (webmaster FVDK).
Kasoa: Two teenagers arrested over alleged ritual murder of 10-year-old
Published: April 4, 2021 By: Modern Ghana
Two persons, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old are in the custody of the Kasoa Divisional Police Command for allegedly killing a 10-year-old boy for money rituals at Lamptey Mills, a suburb of Kasoa.
According to sources the suspects lured the deceased, only known as Ishmael by his peers, into an uncompleted building and hit him with an object, killing him instantly.
There are claims that a fetish priest in the Volta Region told the two suspects to bring human parts for rituals, hence the action of the pair.
The mother of the boy, Hajia Maame told Citi News that she is shocked by the news of her son’s demise.
The suspects are currently assisting in investigations.
Meanwhile, the Kasoa Divisional Police Command has so far not commented officially on the incident or the arrests.
Three persons have been arrested for the murder of a taxi driver at Kasoa in the Central Region.
Police officers on night patrol duty first picked up Steven Aidoo alias Kwesi Mensah around 1 am on Tuesday.
Narrating the incident to Citi News, the Central Regional Correspondent Calvis Tetteh, DSP Irene Oppong the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer explained that upon arresting Steven Aidoo, they found blood spots in the taxicab and confronted him.
He however explained that he had picked up one passenger from Awutu Bereku who had a slaughtered pig.
“He told the Police that he picked up a passenger with a slaughtered pig the reason for the blood stains in the car” DSP Irene Oppong said.
Two wrappers suspected to contain Indian hemp were also found in the car which he claimed ownership of.
“Further interrogation by the Divisional Commander forced the suspect to confess to committing the crime” the Police PRO added.
Steven Aidoo then confessed to killing Richard Ayivi, the owner of the taxi, at Gomoa Kweikrom for ritual purposes and dumping his body in a bush nearby.
The Divisional Commander led a team of investigators together with the suspect to a spot in between Kweikrom and Bonsuoku where he pointed out the crime scene to the Police.
The body of 25-year-old Richard Ayiyi, the taxi owner, was found lying in the bush.
“The body was found in a bad state with both arms and legs tied to a rope” DSP Irene Oppong explained.
The Police PRO added that the suspect mentioned Yaw Obeng and Jackson Kodjo Abeka alias Kodjo as his accomplices.
“They [the accompliceses] were also picked up by Police at Gomoa Budumburam and Senya Bereku.”
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue pending an autopsy while the suspects are being processed for court.
